Life is full of fun and surprises. Joy is the cornerstone of the Christian life. And with Christmas just around the corner, laughter and enjoyable times are in the foreseeable future. But not for everyone. The holidays are a lonely, sad time for many. Let’s all remember that. This comes from the guy who laughs more than most—in church, in the home, and where ever I might be. The fact is, God gave us more than one emotion. The God who gave us joy also gave us sadness. Don’t expect everyone to be on top of the world all the time; that is unrealistic.
Henry W. Longfellow said it well: “Believe me, every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” This quote refers to men, women, young people, and even children. Don’t be hard on others, or yourself, if a melancholy mood surrounds them for a season or two. God never intended after the fall of man or life on earth to be heaven. One-day hope takes reality and an eternal bliss will surround us for eternity. Until then, allow for sadness and gloomy days to be part of life realizing that God in His omniscience knows that is what we need at that juncture in our lives.
The Bible talks a lot about the joy filled Christian life filled by the Spirit of God. Being the book of reality that it is, the Bible also prepares us for times of sadness that may last longer than we may really want. Solomon was the wisest man to ever walk on earth. He tells us to accept sorrow as a part of life: “Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy” (Eccles. 7:3). Sorrow is often a time when God can get your full attention and speak volumes to your heart and soul. Often the sad times are needed to prepare you for a future ministry or joy that will bring you to new heights.
So just accept yourself and others that are going through sad times. Remind yourself that God gave you and others the emotion of sadness as well as joy!!
